cliff. while that's going on and will keep going on for a while, your united states senate is haggling over something that might be even more important to the health of the republic, at least if in the future we want to, i don't know, solve any problems ever. i'm speaking, of course, of that great scourge the filibuster. that senate only rule that allows any senator in the majority or the minority to force legislation to pass not by the standard 51 votes, but by 60. which for most bills means certain death. rarely do 60 senators agree on anything. and over the last few years, the use and abuse of the filibuster, mainly but not exclusively by republicans, has reached record-breaking senate stopping heights. so what do you do? if you are harry reid, lead other telephone democrats in the senate, you try to reform it. and if you're mitch mcconnell, the republican leader who is using it all the time because it is your main kind of power you try to stop reform of it. now there are a couple of plan